Through the Fire
by Ms. Perception
Summary: Life has been going well in the Big Apple. Kurt and Blaine are still happily engaged. Rachel is a Broadway sensation. Everything is as it should be. Until the day that Sam gets a call saying that there was an incident at the base where Puck was stationed. That one phone call shakes up their idyllic lives and changes things forever. But who ever said that change was a bad thing?
1. Wake Up Call

Through the Fire

**Summary**: Life has been going well in the Big Apple. Kurt and Blaine are still happily engaged. Rachel is a Broadway sensation. Everything is as it should be. Until the day that Sam gets a call saying that there was an incident at the base where Puck was stationed. That one phone call shakes up their idyllic lives and changes things forever. But who ever said that change was a bad thing?

**Pairings**: Established Klaine, Dantana and Kartie relationships. Hinted Blam, Puckleberry, Pucktana, Mikecedes relationships. Past Samcedes and Quick relationships. Blamman (Sam/Blaine/Puck), Pezberry, Pucktana, Puckleberry, Samcedes, Puckerwilde and Hummelberry friendships.

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing. I'm not likely to own anything in the near future. I've accepted this. Although if someone would like to give me Mark Salling for Christmas, I would definitely not be opposed!

**Warnings**: this story deals with very serious issues, including violence, PTSD, mental illness and death. There is a mass shooting involved with this story. It's not depicted only mentioned but it's a central piece of the plot. So just giving you a warning.

**Author's Note:** so I started another Glee fic. I promised myself I wasn't going to start anything until I finished _This is 18_ but apparently I lie even to myself. That's really sad. But I blame _Glee_ because this is my way of bringing Puck back into the show. This story starts off pretty dark but hopefully starts to lighten up a little. I say hopefully because I only have the vaguest of outlines. The pairings aren't written in stone. I have an idea of what my endgame is going to be but for right now it could be anything. Either way I hope that you all enjoy.

* * *

**Wake Up Call **

It is a well known fact that phone calls from unknown numbers at some insane time in the hours between too late and too early rarely ever brought about good news. It usually was terrible, horrible life changing news. Sam couldn't think of a single time in his life when the phone rang at 3 AM and it was about something good. As he sat staring at his still ringing phone, he had a feeling that this wasn't going to be one of those times either. Especially since the area code was for Tennessee and there was only one person he knew in Tennessee. And despite the fact that Puck kept weird hours even now that he was done with basic training, he never called at 3 in the morning. And this wasn't the number he usually called from. Because Sam had that number stored and this wasn't it. So this was inevitably going to change everything. And life was going so good too. He should've known that it was all going to change.

A few months ago during one of their weekly Skype sessions, Puck asked if he could put Sam down as his next of kin and medical proxy. After a major falling out after Finn's untimely death, Puck and his mother weren't on speaking terms and it wasn't from a lack of effort from her son. His mother just apparently had enough with him and was focused only on raising her daughter. To the best of Sam's knowledge, Puck hadn't spoken a word to his mother or sister in over a year and a half. So naturally, she wouldn't be a great candidate for next of kin. The next obvious choice was Jake but he was still under eighteen and Puck loathed the idea of putting that kind of responsibility in his hands. So he asked Sam and Sam agreed because why wouldn't he? Sam no longer called himself the closest thing to a best friend Puck had. He knew that he was Puck's best friend. And if it gave Puck some peace of mind to know that Sam was there in case of an emergency then he would give him that peace of mind. But he didn't think he would be called upon to act in that role so soon (or ever really).

Sam summoned the courage to pick up the phone right as it was about to go into voicemail. His hands were trembling and a cold feeling was building in his stomach. "Hello?" his voice was trembling.

"Is this Samuel Evans?"

"Yes." He wished to everything holy that he wasn't Sam Evans at that particular moment.

"Mr. Evans, my name is Dr. Taylor Green. I'm calling from the hospital on the McGhee Tyson Air National Guard Base. You're listed as the next of kin for Second Lieutenant Noah Puckerman, correct?"

Sam felt his stomach twist. "Uh, yeah, I am. Is he… is he, ok?"

"Mr. Evans, I'm afraid there's been an incident on the base. Lt. Puckerman was injured. We need to you to be here to sign some paperwork."

"What kind of incident?" Sam asked, swallowing the lump in his throat. "How badly was he injured? Is he ok?"

"I can't discuss his medical condition at this point. He's currently being prepped for surgery. But we need you to be here in case certain decisions need to be made."

Decisions? He remembered the paperwork that Puck had to fill out when he first signed up for the Air Force. One them was filled with a bunch of questions regarding his views on life support and resuscitation. A copy of that paperwork was in the file cabinet Blaine insisted they needed when they first moved in together. He knew that he needed to get that. He needed to get a ticket and get out to Tennessee. He needed to do something other than just sit there numbly, unable to speak or move or think.

"Sam?" he blinked as there was suddenly a warm hand on his shoulder. He felt the phone being pried out of his death grip. And then Blaine was taking over. He was asking the question that Sam should've asked. He was saying the things that Sam should've said. Because Sam was Puck's next of kin but Sam couldn't do anything. Maybe he should've picked Blaine. "Sam?"

"Huh?"

Blaine's warm brown eyes smiled at him through the dim lighting in his room. He couldn't remember Blaine turning them on in the first place. The hand on his shoulder squeezed gently before guiding his head to rest on Blaine's shoulders. Sam didn't realize he was even breathing wrong until he could feel the steady beating of his roommate's heart against his ear. He focused on those quiet, normal beats and forced his own breaths to slow down and match them. Once he was calm, Blaine shifted back to meet his gaze. He kept his hands on the blonde's shoulders and offered him a smile.

"It's going to be ok, Sammy," he assured him. Sam read the hesitancy in his voice though. He knew Blaine well. He knew that Blaine didn't believe that anymore than he did.

"What happened?"

"Apparently there was a shooting at the base," Blaine shrugged helplessly. "That's all she would tell me. I don't know but he, uh, he was definitely shot."

Sam ran a hand through his hair. "I have to go there. They want me there in case… in case something. I'm his medical proxy too. I have to make decisions for him. I have to…."

"You have to breathe," Blaine finished, soothingly. "Now slow down, take some deep breaths and let me handle the tickets, ok?"

"Tickets?"

"You don't seriously think I'm going to let you do this alone, do you? In case you're forgetting Puck is my friend too. I don't think I could focus on anything here. So it's a waste of time to have me here. You're not the only one that can't lose him too."

Sam patted the hand that still rested on his shoulder apologetically. "I know that you guys are friends. I'm sorry. I just meant, you have a lot going on right now… with school and Kurt and everything."

"School can wait," Blaine answered, squeezing Sam's shoulder. "And Kurt knows how much you both mean to me. I'm sure he'll understand why I need to go with you. Besides you're definitely going to need some help with Puck's Mini Me."

"Oh god, Jake!"

Sam's eyes widened and he could almost feel himself slipping back into a blind panic. How the hell was he supposed to tell Jake that his brother was in the hospital? Sam knew that the two brothers had grown very close in the past two years. Jake saw Puck as the father figure he never had. And Puck saw Jake as both the younger sibling he always wanted (because Sarah was just a clone of their mother) and the child he lost. It was an odd dynamic but it worked. Between Puck's long distance brotherly influence and surprisingly Kitty's right there in his face influence, Jake was doing great in school. He already received three college acceptance letters, one in Tennessee, close to the base and the other two were in New York. Jake was happier than he had been in years. He was stable. Losing Puck would ruin all of that. And Sam had to be the one to tell him.

"How am I supposed to tell him about this?" Sam asked, his voice breaking at the end.

"It's Jake. Just call him. Tell him what we know for now. Tell him that I'm working on getting him a flight too. There's no way he's just going to sit back and wait in Ohio. If we don't get him a ticket, he'll try and hitchhike his way to Tennessee."

Sam laughed for the first time since his world was rocked. The stubbornness of the Puckerman brothers was legendary. Jake definitely would attempt to hitchhike. It certainly wouldn't be the first time he tried. So keeping in mind that it needed to be done, Sam held his hand out for his phone. Blaine gave his shoulder one last squeeze before placing it back in his hand. It started ringing as soon as it touched his palm.

"It's Jake," Sam read aloud. Blaine frowned in concerned response. "Hello?"

"Tell me he's ok."

"Jake? What's wrong?"

"What's wrong?! It's all over the news!" Jake hissed. His voice was slightly hysterical. "Mom was working at the diner and she called me to tell me that she saw the news. She told me there was some kind of shooting on the base. It's crazy. A lot of people were injured. Some of them are dead. Please tell me that my brother isn't dead. He's not answering his phone. I can't reach his roommates. I can't get through to him at all. So please tell me that you know something. Sam, please just tell me that he's ok."

Sam blinked away tears as he listened to Jake's frantic words. Blaine wordlessly left the room, only to return with his laptop in tow a moment later. He sat down on the bed next to Sam so that their shoulders were pressed together. He was quietly grateful for the grounding contact.

"They called me," Sam admitted. His words felt heavy in his mouth. He felt like he was talking slower than normal. "The hospital that is. They called me. They told me that he's in surgery and they want me to come out there. Blaine is going to book the two of us a flight." He heard Jake take a breath ready to speak. "Don't worry. He's getting one for you too. I wouldn't leave you out of this, ok?"

"He's going to be ok, right? Because I don't know if I could….."

"Jake, it's going to be ok. It's Puck. He's not leaving us," Sam found himself saying. His voice was steady. He almost believed it. "He's going to be ok."

He sat on the phone with Jake for another few minutes before the younger man finally calmed down enough to pack a bag. During that time Blaine managed to find flights for all of them. Jake's flight was later but he had less distance to travel and none of them wanted him to land in Tennessee alone. His amazing (other) best friend managed to arrange it so that Jake's flight would land about an hour after theirs. That would give them enough time to pick up a rental car and figure out how to get to the base. Sam was already appreciating Blaine presence on this trip.

"Tell me that everything is going to be ok."

Blaine placed his hand over Sam's prompting the blonde to turn his hand over so that their fingers intertwined. "Everything is going to be ok," Blaine promised. "We're going to get through this. I don't know how or what's going to happen. But we're going to get through this. And I'm going to be there every single step of the way, ok?"

Sam took a deep breath, drawing strength from the hand still tangled with his. "Ok."

* * *

Sam knew that it was going to be bad but he really didn't expect all of this. Once they arrived at the airport, they found every news channel was running a story on the shooting. It felt almost surreal. He never paid too much attention when stories like this happened. Sure, he felt terrible for the people involved. He felt sadness that lives were lost but it never hit until right now. This time it was personal. Sam wanted nothing more than for the reporters to stop speculating on who did it and why. He wanted them all to shut up. Especially since they didn't seem to have any further information each time they went to report on the events. The basic structure that Sam seemed to get was that there were multiple shooters, several casualties, even more injured and one of the shooters was dead. He was apparently taken down by the final victim. Given that they weren't reporting anything new, it was extra annoying. Although Sam supposed in this case, no news was good news.

Before they left for the airport, Blaine and Sam went downstairs to the apartment that Artie would soon be sharing with Kitty (and possibly Jake if he chose one of his New York prospects). It helped having another gleek in the building. They told him what was going on. He naturally also wanted to go but understood the multitude of reasons why that just wouldn't work. He promised to play ground support in New York. Sam called the hospital to tell them that they were on their way and asked that if anything happened while they were in the air that they call Artie. Artie also promised to call the others as soon as the sun came up to let them know what was going on. And as much as Sam dreaded what he was going to find once they reached Tennessee, he found that he also didn't envy Artie's job either.

During the brief flight, Sam's mind kept going over all the scenarios. Not surprisingly, he found his thoughts were dwelling on the worst case scenarios. Once again he was happy that Blaine insisted on coming along. Because while Sam was off thinking about the ways in which Puck was dead, near death or maimed for life, Blaine was coming up with lists of people that needed to be notified, things that Puck might need, things that they might need, etc. Blaine was definitely the cooler head in this situation and Sam was just so damn happy he was here.

He turned his phone back on while they were waiting for Jake's flight. He wasn't surprised to see that he had several voice messages and even more texts from the various former glee club members (and their teacher) expressing concern and horror. He didn't bother to call any of them. He didn't know anything for starters and he knew that Artie probably talked to most of them by now. So there was no point. Except one person missed that memo because no sooner had he put the phone away was it ringing. He picked up without looking at the Caller Id, terrified it as the hospital again.

"Hello?"

"What the actual fuck, Trouty Mouth?!"

Sam groaned. "Santana."

"No, it's the Easter Bunny! Yes, it's Santana. What the hell were you thinking? Why the hell didn't you tell me what happened? I had to hear it from Kurt?! You two just took off in the middle of the night and didn't stop to think just once that there would be anyone else that would want to go, huh?"

"Actually, I didn't think anyone else wanted to go," Sam retorted. "I really didn't think there would be anyone other than Blaine or Artie that honestly even cared that much. When was the last time you actually even talked to him, Santana? When was the last time you did something more than like his comment on Facebook? Oh, I know it's when you were accusing him of stealing Finn's jacket. You know the whole incident that prompted him to join the damn Air Force in the first place! So yeah, I really wasn't thinking about you. Why would I? You obviously don't give a damn about him. Or else you would've called him or sent him a text before now. That's what friends do, Santana. That's how you show you care. Not ignore them for years until they get shot and are possibly dying!"

There was a pause before he heard something he never thought he would hear in his lifetime. Something that he never wanted to hear in his lifetime. Santana Lopez was crying. And not just crying. She was full on sobbing. Sam sighed. He knew he went too far. But he also knew that the distance between Puck and Santana was troubling both of them. They were close in high school and then they grew apart. Then they fell apart and it hurt them both but neither of them knew how to close the gap between them. Now it might be too late.

"I'm sorry, San. I'm just cranky. I didn't get much sleep as you can imagine."

"No, you're right. This is my fault," she said shakily. "Do you know how many times I've picked the phone up to call him since then? It's been two years, Sammy! I should've called him. I should've…. it's all over the news. They're saying that people are dead. He's not dead… is he?"

"No, he's not," Sam answered, secure in at least that bit of knowledge. "He's not. I don't know what's going on but at least I know that. I'll call you soon as soon as I know something."

"Thanks."

He heard the phone disconnect and he sat back with a heavy sigh. They hadn't even made it to the hospital and he was already emotionally overwhelmed. This was going to be a rough few days. He didn't think he was going to be able to do this. Blaine was wrong. He couldn't do this. He couldn't….

"Relax," Blaine said. There was just a hint of a teasing smile in his voice. He felt more than saw the other man flop down on the bench beside him. Their arms were once again pressed against each other and Sam found he liked this arrangement far more than he thought he would (and far more than he wanted to). He could feel the anxiety receding for the moment. "Who was on the phone?"

"Santana. I kind of made her cry."

Blaine arched an eyebrow. "Damn, Sammy. Guess Puck is rubbing off you after all. You made the Queen of Badass cry? Kinda jealous."

Sam snickered before leaning against Blaine. They waited in relative silence for the final member of their group. He didn't know when they started humming but it was a good way to drown out the relentless coverage of the "tragedy" that was slowly becoming a media free for all. Besides the song was kind of fitting. It was the last song Puck ever sang solo in front of the glee club and it was basically their motto for this whole trip. Keep Holding On…..

* * *

Movies, not surprisingly, are pretty much always getting it wrong. If this was a movie, they would've rushed into the hospital and immediately met with a doctor who would tell them what was happening. Instead, they got to the hospital and were informed that Puck was still in surgery. They were then instructed to sit in the family waiting room and wait. And that's exactly what they'd been doing for the past four hours. Thankfully one of the nurses had the sense of mind to put a movie on to block out the relentless media coverage outside. And it was specifically designed for a long wait: _The Lord of the Rings_. At least they all agreed that it was a good one.

They had just reached the part where Boromir died defending the hobbits when the doors to the waiting room opened. A stern looking woman that reminded Sam of a saner (at least looking) Sue Sylvester walked in. He elbowed the dozing Jake and Blaine as she walked towards them. A soft smile toyed at the edges of her mouth. Sam felt a little more at ease. She wouldn't be smiling like that if he were dead…. right?

"You gentleman are waiting for Lt. Noah Puckerman?" they nodded in unison. "Great, I'm Dr. Green. I believe I talked to two of you on the phone earlier today."

"Yes," Blaine smiled, taking the lead. "I'm Blaine Anderson. This is my roommate, Sam Evans and Puck's younger brother, Jake."

"So you're the Jake he never shuts up about," Dr. Green smiled again. "The way he goes on about you, we originally thought you were his son." Jake flushed a little but Sam could see some of the darkness fade from his eyes. He liked this Dr. Green already. "Now, let's get down to business. Mr. Evans, do you feel comfortable with me discussing Lt. Puckerman's condition in front of Mr. Puckerman and Mr. Anderson?"

"Yes, and you can call me Sam."

"Excellent, Sam," Dr. Green smiled again. "Now let me just start off by reassuring you all that Noah is alive and, with time, expected to make a full physical recovery." Sam let out a long exhale of relief that was quietly echoed by the other two. "Ok, so we got that out of the way. How much of what happened here do you know?"

"Very little," Sam admitted. "We know that there was a shooting of some sort. And that Puck was hurt."

"Well that's accurate. The shooting occurred roughly around one in the morning. I don't really know what sparked the incident but I do know that there was more than one shooter. One of them started in the dorms. You can imagine since it was so late and hardly anyone is expecting an attack like that, the injuries were significant. But fortunately, he was subdued before he could leave the third floor where he started."

"That's where Puck lived, uh, lives," Blaine said.

"Yes, and it's thanks to Noah that we had significantly less casualties. He's the real hero in this story. He's the one that stopped the shooter."

That right there? That was Sam's stomach jumping into his throat again. Because of the news coverage he knew that the shooter in the dorm was dead. And if Puck was the one that stopped him… that meant that Puck… killed him? The more he heard, the more he felt like he couldn't do this. He looked to Blaine but found that he was looking as lost as Sam felt. Well that's not good.

"How exactly did he stop him?" Jake asked hesitantly.

"Apparently the shooter barged into the room Noah shared with two other officers. All three of them were injured. However, Noah's roommates weren't as fortunate and their wounds were fatal. They passed away before anyone could get to their room."

Sam closed his eyes. He knew that Puck actually got along with those guys. They were (officially) the closest thing to a best friend Puck would allow himself to have on the base. He actually talked to them a couple of times when chatting with Puck. This was just looking worse and worse.

"You still didn't tell me how my brother killed a man," Jake pointed out, flatly.

"He didn't kill him in cold blood, if that's what you're thinking. It was purely self defense. After he fired his shots, Noah managed to disarm him. But our shooter still had a knife. There was a struggle. Obviously the outcome is that Noah is alive and the scumbag that tried to murder him and several others in addition to actually murdering more than a few is dead. When I say that Lt. Puckerman is a hero, I mean it. What he did was nothing short of amazing."

Sam glanced at Jake. There were so many emotions swirling in his usually expressive eyes. It was hard for him to pin them all down. But he knew that Jake was feeling guilt at even hinting that his brother was a murderer. The kid was also feeling concerned. He was angry. He was a thousand different things but he wouldn't be ok until he actually saw Puck. Speaking of that…

"I know you said he would make a full physical recovery but how badly hurt was he?" Blaine asked, as if reading Sam's thoughts.

"Well, he was shot once in his left shoulder. There was minimal damage done to the muscle so he should regain all movement in his shoulder once the damage is healed. There was another gunshot wound on his leg but it was a through and through. He was lucky there. There were several concerning lacerations on his stomach and chest but thus far the stitching is holding. The internal damage has been corrected. And provided he doesn't move around much in the next few weeks, he should physically heal just fine."

"You keep saying physically," Sam spoke up.

"Because now that the wounds have been tended to, I can freely admit that I'm more concerned with his mental health. I understand that he joined the Air Force shortly after he lost a very good friend."

"Yeah," Jake replied, uncomfortably. "His best friend, Finn, died two years ago."

"That's what I thought. Think of it like this, Noah just watched several of his friends die and had to take the life of a man he served with. He's going to need some serious time to recuperate. And I don't really recommend that taking place here. This base is going to be a circus for quite some time between media coverage and investigations into how they happened in the first place. He's going to need somewhere supportive and away from all this."

Sam chewed on his lip, trying to think of a place that fit that depiction. He had a few ideas but he needed to see how Puck was before he could agree to anything. He cleared his throat. "Can we see him, Dr Green?"

"I can really only let you and Jake in tonight and only one at a time. Barring any complications overnight, we can move him into a private room in the morning. Then you can visit as long as you like with as many people as you. So I apologize, Blaine, but you'll have to wait until tomorrow to see him."

The former Warbler nodded. "That's ok. So who's up first?"

"I am," Sam answered before Jake could say anything. Maybe it came from knowing Puck so well but Sam could read the protest in the teen's eyes before he even opened his mouth to say something. "I promise I won't take that long. I'm just going to see how he is to start working on a plan and then he's all yours."

He knew that despite his initial protests, Jake was not looking forward to going in that room anymore than Sam was. Sam knew that Jake was terrified about what he was going to find. And with Puck sidelined (for the time being) that meant it was his job to shield Jake from the more unpleasant things in life. He met Blaine's gaze and nodded at the acceptance he found there. Another small smile crossed his lips.

"Come on, kid. I don't know about you but I'm starving!" Blaine said, tugging a very compliant Jake with him towards the cafeteria. Hopefully Blaine would be able to help Jake get his emotions sorted through before he went in to see Puck.

Before they could turn down the corridor that would lead them to Puck's room, Sam stopped the doctor again. "Tell me what you weren't saying back there in front of Jake." Dr. Green gave him an assessing yet approving look.

"I'm going to put this bluntly. Noah killed a man. It was definitely self defense and given the option to go forward with the act again, I know he would definitely choose to not kill again. But the fact of the matter is that he did. And that's the kind of thing that can eat at a person. I'm worried that it will eat at Noah. That he will let guilt consume him. Guilt for surviving as well as guilt for taking another man's life."

Sam let out a deep breath. Admittedly, he was worried about the same thing. Then again, he also kind of wasn't. Because Puck did go through a seriously traumatic experience but he also had a very large network of people that loved him and wouldn't let this destroy him. It would take time and a lot of coordinated effort but Sam knew that they were strong enough to help him stay strong. They were going to get him through this.

And in that moment, Sam actually believed that.

* * *

One time, back in high school when they first met, Puck came to school covered in bruises but still grinning like a loon. Sam remembered being more than a little concerned with Puck's mental health, as well as his home life. That is until Mike later told him that Puck participated in some totally illegal weird Fight Club homage. So Sam got used to seeing his friend sporting bruises. He got used it… but he never liked it.

Sam knew based off what Dr. Green told them that Puck wasn't going to look like his normal self. But he still wasn't expecting him to seem so small. Puck wasn't a small person. He was tall and bursting with life and personality. But the too pale and still figure with visible bandages and wires everywhere… that didn't seem like his best friend. That is until his unfocused gaze sharpened and their eyes met in the dimness of the room. A ghost of a smile crossed his lips and Sam felt at ease. There was still a part of Puck in there.

"Hey," Puck whispered.

"Hey, yourself," Sam greeted as he shut the door gently behind him and went to stand next to the bed. Up close he looked even worse. Sam could see the recently bandaged wounds poking through the thin hospital gown. But the smile remained as faint as it was. That was enough. He covered Puck's hand with his. "I'd ask you how you're feeling but that sounds painfully stupid."

"It's ok. Actually don't feel too bad." Puck gave a one shoulder shrug. "I think they got me on the good stuff." His smile wobbled a little. His eyes shined a little too brightly under the harsh florescent lights. "I'm glad you're here, Sammy."

"Where else would I be?"

Puck looked down at his hand which was still covered by Sam's. He gave another little shrug. "I don't know. Here I guess. I'm just happy that's all."

Sam nodded. The two friends sat in silence before it just became too much. Sam leaned forward, ever mindful of the wires and pulled his best friend into a gentle embrace. Puck's good arm came up to wrap around his shoulders. Sam could feel Puck's shaky breaths on his neck and he held on tighter.

"I was so scared," Puck admitted. Sam nodded.

"Me too," he moved back slightly so that he could see into his eyes. He didn't like the darkness he saw there. He didn't like the uncertainty. And while it would take awhile to break the first (and they would). Sam at least knew he had the tools right now to crack through the second. "Puck, I need you to know that I love you. You're my best friend and I'm so damn happy you're still here with me and that I can say that. Nothing is going to change that. And nothing is going to make me regret that I'm here too."

Puck's eyes glistened but no tears fell. Sam knew that he would need to be on the lookout for that. The Puckerman habit of repressing emotions was as legendary as their stubbornness. Sam bumped Puck on the chin lightly before sitting back on the edge of the bed. He reached for his hand again though because he couldn't quite force himself to break physical contact just yet. It seemed that Puck wasn't exactly eager either as he held on as tight as he could.

"For your information, I didn't come out here alone," Sam said, breaking the comfortable silence that settled over them. Puck arched an eyebrow. "Yeah, Jake is here too. Blaine took him down to the cafeteria to get something to eat."

"Really? They're both here?"

"Of course they are. Artie would've been here too but we thought he would be better staying back. But he told me to tell you that you better be ok or he would roll down here and force fed you waffles until you were. I kept telling him that wasn't a very effective threat." Puck let out a watery laugh and nodded. "Did Dr. Green talk to you?"

"Yeah. She was in here an hour ago. We talked."

"Did she tell you that she wants you to recuperate somewhere that's… not here?"

"Yeah, she said that." Puck smiled but it was a rueful, almost bitter look. "Looks like I'm going home after all."

"You could do that… or you could come back to New York with me and Blaine."

"You talk to Blaine about this?"

"Not exactly."

"Uh huh," Puck mumbled. "You think maybe you should? It's a pretty big decision to let a murdering cripple crash on your couch."

"One, don't you ever call yourself that again," Sam warned, his tone firm yet gentle. He could see they were going to have a problem with the self deprecation. He added that to his growing list of things to be on the look out for. "Two, you definitely wouldn't be living on the couch. You could have my room until you got better and then we could make other arrangements. And three, it's half my apartment. So I can do what I want with my half, including moving in my amazing best friend that needs me and that I need to have around."

Puck shook his head but Sam could already see the walls rising. That was enough for tonight then. "I'll think about it, ok?"

"Ok. I'll go see if Jake and Blaine are back yet."

There was no response but he didn't expect there to be. He squeezed Puck's hand one last time before walking towards the door. He didn't need to check if the other two were back as Jake was barreling through the door before he even had it completely open. Sam laughed as he stepped out the room to stand beside an equally amused Blaine.

"We didn't even make to the cafeteria," Blaine replied to the unanswered question. "He broke down three feet down the hall and we've been waiting out here ever since. I think he's going to be ok."

"Good."

"How about Puck? How's he?"

"Not terrible," Sam admitted. "It's going to be a bumpy road."

"So did you ask him?"

Sam craned his neck to look down at Blaine. "Ask him what?"

"Did you ask him to come back with us?"

"Uh, yeah. I did."

"Good. What did he say?"

"Wait, what?"

Blaine gave him a look that Sam knew meant he was questioning his sanity. "You don't really think that we're letting him go back to Lima, do you? Dr. Green said he needs somewhere supportive and restful. That's pretty much the opposite of what he's going to get in Lima. The keyword is support and that's pretty much you, me and Artie. Oh yeah, and Santana now that she finally got the necessary wake up call. Also it makes sense. Jake really wanted to go to school with Kitty in New York and now Puck will be in New York. So Jake will be with his brother and Puck is always focused when he's around Jake. It's win-win all around."

Sam stared at Blaine with definite awe in his eyes. He knew that Blaine was working on a plan but this… this was perfect. This was exactly the reason why Sam never regretted following Blaine to New York. It's why he…. "I love you," he blurted out before he could stop himself. Blaine's eyes widened and he saw the flush on the other man's cheeks. Sam forced out a weak chuckle. "I mean like a brother. I love you like a brother."

"Uh, right, yeah. I knew that," Blaine laughed, a little too high. "Besides it would be totally wrong if it were the other way, right? Because I'm getting married."

"Yeah, married," Sam mumbled. They stood awkwardly for a few moments. "I'm going to go find Dr. Green."

"I should probably call Kurt," Blaine nodded, trying his hardest not to look at Sam. "He's only called about twenty times since we got here." Sam snickered. Blaine finally looked up. "I meant it. He's coming back with us."

"I know. Thanks again."

They stared at each other for another long, tense yet still not awkward moment before Sam forced himself to go in search of the doctor. Those types of moments were happening all too frequently these days and it was getting harder and harder for Sam to remember that he was supposedly straight and that Blaine already had a boyfriend, uh, fiancé. Sam was eager to have Puck in the apartment because at least there would be someone to help break up the sexual tension that seemed to happen whenever they were alone and not in the middle of an active crisis. Yeah, having Puck around was definitely going to help…. right?

He finally tracked Dr. Green down in her office and they hashed out a plan that would allow Puck to be transported to a hospital not that far from their apartment. She advised that he not be left alone while he was there and Sam promised that he wouldn't be. When he finished with the doctor, he called Jake's mom. Tanisha was more than understanding about Jake needing to spend some time with his brother. She had already informed the school that he would be out for the next few weeks. She made arrangements for him to get his work electronically so he could keep up and graduate on time. He knew that Blaine would update Artie when he was done with Kurt. So that left only one other person that Sam needed to call.

"Hey, San."

"Hey, Sammy….. How is he?"

"He's going to be ok," Sam admitted. "We're actually bringing him back up there in a few days. The doctors here just want to make sure he's strong enough for the move."

"That's great! I mean I'm happy that he's going to be close to you guys." She paused and his heart broke a little at how unlike herself she sounded when she spoke again. "I know that I don't really deserve this but…."

"I'll tell him you said hi."

"Thanks, Sam."

"You're welcome… but Santana, don't leave it like this. He's going to be up there. He's been through hell and not just last night. He's going to need us. Jake's mom is letting him stay with us for a little awhile so we'll have people by his side pretty much all the time. But I still think that…."

"That you need more people? Ok. I can be there. I will be there. Even if he doesn't want me there, I'll be there."

"He wants you to be there, San. I know he does."

"You know that, huh?"

"Yeah, I do," Sam laughed, warming by the echoing laughter he heard on the other line. "San, you know we're all going to get through this, right?"

"Yeah, I know that now, Trouty Mouth. Thank you."

"You're welcome. See you in a few days."

He hung up feeling less shaky than he had all day. On his way back to the lounge where he knew Blaine was waiting, Sam passed by Puck's room. He cracked the door open and wasn't at all surprised to find Jake sitting on the edge of the bed with Puck leaning against his side fast asleep. The younger of the brothers was humming something softly. He glanced up to smile at Sam before he continued to hum his song.

Yeah, they were going to get through this. Everything was going to be ok.

* * *

The end for now. I don't know when I'm going to have the next part up. I was supposedly working on _This is 18_. So I make no promises anymore. Hope that this chapter wasn't too dark and that someone enjoyed!


	2. Better Left Unsaid

**Summary**: Life has been going well in the Big Apple. Kurt and Blaine are still happily engaged. Rachel is a Broadway sensation. Everything is as it should be. Until the day that Sam gets a call saying that there was an incident at the base where Puck was stationed. That one phone call shakes up their idyllic lives and changes things forever. But who ever said that change was a bad thing?

**Pairings**: Established Klaine, Dantana and Kartie relationships. Hinted Blam, Puckleberry, Pucktana, Mikecedes relationships. Past Samcedes and Quick relationships. Blamman (Sam/Blaine/Puck), Pezberry, Pucktana, Puckleberry, Samcedes, Puckerwilde and Hummelberry friendships.

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing. I'm not likely to own anything in the near future. I've accepted this. Although if someone would like to give me Mark Salling for Christmas, I would definitely not be opposed!

**Warnings**: This story deals with very serious issues, including violence, PTSD, mental illness and death. There is a mass shooting involved with this story. It's not depicted only mentioned but it's a central piece of the plot. So just giving you a warning.

**Author's Note:** Wow, I definitely wasn't expecting such an amazing response to the last chapter. I'm glad people are enjoying. And to those that pointed out that this is going the route of my other story Ten Years... you're right. Expect that level of angst but some happy moments! Anyway, glad you liked. Just another warning, this chapter isn't the nicest to Kurt. I would say that I regret that but I really, really don't. I've been having a rough few weeks and he's just borne the brunt of that. Ok, enough rambling. Enjoy!

* * *

**Better Left Unsaid**

Blaine was concerned. Actually that was a huge understatement. There really wasn't a word to describe the mind numbing amount of feelings he had experienced over the past few days. But he thought that concerned summed them up nicely. He had a lump in his throat that formed that Thursday morning when Sam answered his phone at 3 AM and went into a semi catatonic shock. It didn't ease even when he finally got to see Puck. Because Puck was so many things but none of them were small or scared or weak. But he was all of those things and then some right now. And that was because some morons with guns thought to take out an entire base. Blaine still didn't know why they did what they did nor did he care. He just knew that his friends were hurting because of this and there was nothing he could do to make it go away. He could make all the lists and plans in the world but nothing was taking that haunted look out of Puck's eyes. Nothing was going to give Sam back those four days of sleep that he's missed. Nothing was fixing this.

"Seriously, you guys, we just rode in a freaking helicopter!"

Blaine cracked a smile as he heard Puck let out a quiet huff that passed for laughter these days. He amended his earlier statement. There was something that was helping. Jake helped significantly. There were times over the past few days that Blaine saw Puck get lost in his own thoughts. But it was the sound of his little brother's voice that dragged him out of it. Blaine was tempted to offer to home school the teen himself in order to get him to stay up here until this was all over. As it was Tanisha was being very accommodating. She agreed that Jake could stay another two weeks once they were back in New York. The clock on that time limit officially started today.

He looked around the room at his friends. Puck was set up in a private room at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital. It was warm and inviting. One of the nurses let it slip that this was a VIP room usually reserved for celebrities. Blaine didn't need to ask why they were giving it to Puck. The crowd of reporters camped outside the hospital gave him all the answer he needed. Somehow the media caught wind of the fact that the McGhee Base Hero was at this hospital. Puck was still, by some miracle, anonymous so he had at least a little bit of privacy. But for how long was anyone's guess.

By now all of the gleeks knew. However they all knew better than to talk about anything to anyone in the media. Blaine made sure to call his lovely fiancé personally to pass that message along. He knew how much Kurt loved the spotlight. And while reluctant, Kurt agreed that he would refrain from giving any interviews or sharing any information with any press (including Isabel). So at least that part was taken care of. The media frenzy would die down soon enough and they were shielding Puck from the circus as much as they could. Blaine arranged for a portable blu-ray player to be hooked up to the television in the room. It was currently playing series one of _Doctor Who_. He had the complete set ready and waiting. Artie was bringing some shows and movies from his own collection as well. So that left Puck relatively taken care. Now for the other object of Blaine's concern: Sam.

His blonde best friend was dragging. While he didn't expect Sam to be bouncing off the walls with energy or even remotely happy about what was happening, he was worried about the lack of normality in the blonde. Even his hair was drooping. He was exhausted but he was throwing his all into keeping Jake's spirits up so that Jake could keep Puck going. It was a vicious cycle and Blaine was worried that Sam was going to either snap or collapse. But there was no way he would ever suggest that Sam leave. Blaine knew how much Puck meant to Sam. He would never cross that boundary no matter how sane or logical the suggestion might be.

"Sammy?" Puck's voice was always hushed these days. But given that there was almost always silence around him, that wasn't a problem. He waited until he had Sam's complete attention before giving him a ghost of a smirk. "Don't take this wrong way but kindly get the fuck out of my room."

"What?" Sam asked, jaw dropping and a comical look of hurt and confusion crossed his face. Blaine chewed on his lip to stop himself from laughing out loud.

"You're tired, Sam. You all are. I can see it. I'm ok," he assured them. And wasn't it supposed to be the other way around? "You said it yourself this hospital is awesome because it's walking distance from your apartment. So walk your ass home and get some rest. You can always come back later if you want."

"Are you completely out of your mind?" Sam asked. "We can't just leave you!"

"Why can't you? I'm not in any danger of dying. I'm pretty doped up and I got a bunch of Doctors and their lovely companions to keep me company until you guys come back. Just get some rest, ok? Please?"

Sam let out a bone cracking yawn before blushing. "Fine," he groaned. "I guess I could use a nap. But rest assured that I will be back later today."

"I know you will be," Puck smiled, a little more prominent now. He looked to his brother. "Jake, you're in charge. Make sure they both get rest. Don't forget to double check on the blonde. He likes to lie there with his eyes closed and pretend he's sleeping."

"I will not let you down, Captain," Jake gave him a mock salute.

"I am Lieutenant, brat!"

"Same thing," Jake shrugged, dodging the pillow Puck directed Sam to throw in his direction with a grin. "See you later, big brother."

"Later. And I mean it, Sammy. Rest."

"Yeah, yeah," Sam muttered, dragging a hand over his face and shuffling like a zombie out the room. Blaine gave Puck one final look before he was also shooed out the room.

"I don't like this," Blaine said once they were a few feet from the room. "I get that he's ok and all but I don't want to leave him alone like this."

"Relax," Jake drawled. "I got that covered."

Blaine and Sam exchanged confused glances that melted into genuine smiles when they saw Artie rolling towards them. "Did someone call in backup?"

"'sup, man?" Jake exchanged an entirely too complicated handshake with their fellow New Direction alum before beaming at the still shocked Sam and Blaine. "Seriously, you guys have been dragging ass since Saturday. It's Tuesday. You need to rest. If Puck is going to get better he's going to need you both at a full capacity. I already took the initiative to call Santana. She'll be here with Dani once Artie leaves. And then Rachel is coming, possibly with Elliot. So we have all our bases covered. He'll be fine without us for a couple of hours. Long enough for you two to eat a real meal, sleep in an actual bed and in general not look like death."

Blaine blinked. He really underestimated Jake in all of this. Sam smiled brightly, slinging an arm around the younger Puckerman. "You did real good, kid."

"I know. I try," he laughed, even as Sam steered him towards the exit. Blaine started to follow before turning to Artie.

"You're going to be ok, right?"

"Yeah," Artie assured him. "Jake pretty much prepped me for what I'm about to see. But if he can deal then I can deal. Besides I bought him waffles from that place in Brooklyn. You know the one that has to be using crack in their whipped cream."

"Between us and the nurses, Puck is going to be so spoiled before this is all over," Blaine laughed. "Call me if you need anything."

"Only thing I need is for you to take your Warbling ass home and get some rest."

"Fine," Blaine laughed. "Message received. See you later."

"Later!" Artie called over his shoulder before wheeling into Puck's room. Blaine stayed only long enough to hear Puck and Artie's laughs mingling together right before the scent of waffles filled the air. Yeah, he was going to be ok for a few hours. He just hoped that Santana's visit went as well as Artie's.

* * *

Santana has known Noah Puckerman since... well she couldn't actually remember a time she didn't know him. They both grew up on the "bad side" of town. As a result they were almost always lumped together whether it was to get the free school lunch or because they were the only other kid that got left behind more often than not when it came time for parents to pick them up from school. When they got old enough, they would walk home together from school. When Puck met Finn, and his mother started giving Puck rides home, he would whine and throw full on tantrums until Carole agreed to give Santana a lift as well.

When Santana first realized that she might actually like girls, Puck was the one she told first. She remembered sitting on the old weathered couch in the basement of his house with a handmade quilt from his grandmother covering the tops of their head. She remembered whispering the news to him in the quiet of the room and feeling his warm embrace that promised that he would always be there for her, no matter what. And he did keep that promise. He was always there for her when she needed him. But when he needed her, she was nowhere to be found. Or rather she was there but just not for him. She knew how much Finn meant to Puck. Yet back then she had the gall to act as if she didn't care about how this was affecting him. She just plain ignored his pain because it was easier. She didn't give it a thought at the time. But it was all she thought about for two years. Two years of not saying anything to him. Two years and she almost lost the opportunity.

"I don't think I can do this," she confessed, shakily. She felt tears stinging in her eyes. The urge to bolt was growing. She couldn't do this. She couldn't go in there and face him. Not after what she did. Not after what she said. Not after two years of silence and occasional outreach through social media. "Dani, what if he hates me? What if he wants me to leave?"

"How could he?" Dani asked, cupping her face between her hands. "Santana, you're amazing. Yes, sometimes you can be kind of a crazy bitch but it sounds like he cares about you as much as you care about him. Besides I'm sure he could use a friend right now."

She swallowed and nodded. "Yeah, you're right. It's not about me. It's about him." she took a deep breath. She was prepared for the worst. There was a possibility that she would walk in and he would tell her to leave right away. She was prepared for that. But she was also prepared to stay. Because even if he didn't want her there, he needed her. She needed him. That's how it was going to be. She was going to stay even if he wanted her to go.

She exhaled and put her hand on the knob just as the door opened inward. She would've fallen had it not been Dani grabbing her by the back of her shirt. She glanced down to meet Artie's amused blue gaze. A quick look over his shoulder showed Puck propped up against the pillows gaping at her in surprise.

"Uh, so I'm here to visit," she said, lamely.

Artie snorted. "Yeah, we can tell."

"Shut it, Wheels!" she hissed. Her eyes flickered to the bed only to find that Puck was looking anywhere but at her. Oh, god, he did hate her. He did want her to leave. Oh god. She couldn't deal with this.

"Hey, Artie," Dani said, loudly. "You need some help getting downstairs?"

"Sure."

Dani pressed a quick kiss to Santana's cheek before wheeling out of the room with that other traitor Artie. When she got her hands on them she was going to kill them. But first she had to deal with this. God, this was awkward. It was never awkward with them. It was always so easy. It made her heart hurt. It wasn't supposed to be awkward or weird with him. Not with him.

"So when was the last time you ate or is heroin chic back in?" his voice broke through the silence in the room. Her eyes widened before she caught sight of the slight grin curving his lips.

"Heroin chic? Since when have you been a fashion expert?" she countered, stepping further into the room. "Is this what happens when we repeal 'don't ask, don't tell'?"

"Nah, I figured I'd just fit in better with you all if I started reading a few fashion magazines," he retorted. "And on that note, I'll have you know I'm in the best shape I've ever been in, woman."

"Really? That's not saying much, Flabby."

"Flab?" Puck barked incredulously. "I'll show you flab, woman." he lifted the blanket and she could see his bare chest. His chest that was still just as muscular as ever. But that's not what caught her attention. She could only see the bandages. The gunshot that if had been just a little further to the right would've ended his life. The knife wounds on his stomach and chest. All she could see was how she almost lost him. And that brought the tears back. "San…."

"I'm so sorry," she cried, the tears bursting free now that she gave the will to fight them. "This is my fault. This is my fault."

"Did you have a gun and shoot up the base?"

"No, but…."

"Then it's not your fault," he said, firmly. He held out his hand and she didn't hesitate to hold on to it. "I'm sorry, San."

"What could you possibly be sorry for?"

"I'm sorry I never called you."

She laughed, though it came out as a sob. "You stupid bastard. You're always trying to feel guilty for something that wasn't your fault. I was a bitch, Puck. I should've believed you when you told me you didn't take the jacket. And I'm so sorry for that. I'm also sorry for not telling you all of that sooner."

He twisted their hands so their fingers were interlaced. A smile pulled at her lips as he tugged her closer to the bed. She looked down at him. He was so hurt but he was here. She put her hand on his chest and let out a slow breath as she felt his steady heart beat under her fingertips. He was there. He was alive. And she got a second chance.

"Losing Finn… it hurt. He was… he was the best," she said, breaking the comfortable silence. "He was such a good person. I just didn't understand how someone like could be gone and someone like me gets to go on living. I was so confused back then. I didn't know who I was or what I was doing. I let myself believe that what Rachel and Kurt wanted was what I wanted. But we both know that I couldn't be more different than them if I tried."

Puck gave her a weak smile. "But the point of is this is that losing Finn hurt. But eventually I healed and I moved on. Losing you? That would've killed me. Because Rachel and Kurt are awesome but it's never felt as right as it does when I'm with you. It would've hurt worse knowing that you died thinking I hate you. Or that you would hate me."

"Hey," he interrupted, forcing her to look him in the eye. "I never once hated you. And I never once thought you hated me. Ok, that's a lie. But I think that I knew the truth deep down, San. I know that you and I have a forever friendship. It was built off cheap government issued sandwiches and negligent parents. We might not speak every day but I know you. It's ok."

"It's really not," Santana shook her head tearfully. "But it's going to be. Because you're here now and so am I."

"Yeah, I'm here," he tugged her even closer before carefully shifting over. She arched an eyebrow. He grinned. She rolled her eyes. He patted the bed. "Come on, San. You're like a toothpick. You're definitely going to take up that much room."

"Gee, that's what every girl wants to hear," she complained, even as she kicked her sky high heels off and climbed onto the bed, curling up on the side of his body that had the least amount of damage. She placed her head on his shoulder and soaked up the warmth. "I missed you so much."

"I missed you too," he confessed. "Don't leave me again, ok?"

"Ok," she promised, leaning up to press a soft kiss against his cheek. She leaned her head back down and sighed happily.

"So that's Dani, huh?"

"Yeah, that's Dani."

"She's cuter than she looks in all those pictures you post on Facebook. I approve."

Santana grinned despite herself. She knew that she didn't actually need Puck's approval in order for her to keep dating Dani. They'd been on and off for the past two years. She clearly didn't need his approval. But it made her happy to know that she had it.

"So you two look cozy," the object of her thoughts said as she walked back in the room. Santana started to rise when Puck tightened his hold and grinned, lifting his other arm.

"I do have two sides, you know?"

Santana watched as Dani's eyes widened before a giggle emerged. She smiled fondly as her girlfriend and best friend bickered. Dani pulled one of the chairs up on the other side of the bed so that she was sitting by his head. Her feet were kicked up on the bed next to his.

"I think I see what you mean about him now."

"And exactly what have you been telling her about me, Satan?"

"Well for starters, that you like to call me Satan. And that you can be an adorable pain in the ass most of the time."

"Oh," he paused, humming thoughtfully. "So basically the truth."

"Yeah, basically."

He turned his head to face Dani. "You should hear some of the things I could tell you about this one over here."

Dani grinned. "Do tell, my buzz cut friend."

"Did you know she once dated Sam because she wanted him to be her beard? Of course then she dumped him so she could be the beard for one of the football players that was also gay."

Santana flushed red but didn't stop him as Puck launched into more tales of their teenage years. She liked to think she was a lot calmer these days. Sure she still had her crazy outbursts. She was twenty one, not eighty. She was always going to be loud and slightly insane. But she knew that this man would accept nothing less from her. She snuggled deeper into his embrace and let his voice become background to the steady beating of his heart under her ear. He was here and so was she. Nothing was going to separate them again.

* * *

Blaine snickered softly at the twin snores emerging from Sam's bedroom. Despite his very vocal protests to the contrary, Sam was knocked out. Jake went in there to make sure that he got some rest. An hour later, they were both sleeping peacefully. Blaine was both happy for them and jealous at the same time. He wasn't finding sleep to be quite so peaceful. He laid down only to wake up gasping and panting just a half an hour later. He gave it up and was back to working on more lists until it was time to wake Sam and Jake. He was midway through the list on how to ready their apartment for Puck's arrival in a few weeks when he heard the front door open.

Initially he tensed because the only other person who had a key was currently snoring like his life depended on it in his bedroom. He relaxed only slightly when Kurt stuck his head around the kitchen wall.

"Hey, you're back!" Kurt beamed. Blaine nodded absently. Kurt moved to stand beside him, putting an arm around his shoulders. He placed a gentle kiss on the younger man's forehead. "How are you?"

"Fine, I guess," Blaine shrugged. "It's been a really crazy week. A lot to deal with."

Kurt glanced down at the pile of lists. "Yeah, I can see that." He sat down on the barstool next to Blaine's. "So how was it really? Was it weird? The press is saying that he killed someone. Is that true?"

Blaine tensed. He knew Kurt was just being curious but there was something in his fiancé's tone that made him feel uneasy. "Don't say it like that. He killed someone to save his life and at the time the life of one of his roommates."

"That doesn't change the fact that someone is dead and Puck is the one who did it," Kurt countered. "That's got to be weird."

"Yeah, well, fortunately we've never been in a situation where we need to fight for our lives so we're not really able to judge. So just keep your thoughts to yourself. He's pretty fragile right now."

Kurt scoffed. "We are talking about Noah Puckerman, right? He's probably loving all this attention. He's got you all answering his every beck and call. Not to mention all the press."

"Because Puck has always been an attention whore."

"Right!"

"That was sarcasm, sweetie," Blaine retorted, rolling his eyes. He stood up and walked to the other side of the kitchen island so that he was facing Kurt. "Puck is probably the least attention seeking person in our circle of friends. He has never campaigned for a single solo in any competition when he rightfully should've because he's one of the best singers I've heard. He's never even complained about not getting solos when again he should've. He never actually draws attention to himself in anyway. So I'm not really sure where you're getting that he would be happy about having the media camped outside the hospital where he's recovering from being stabbed and shot."

Kurt huffed. "Ok, but you have to understand where I'm coming from here. You got the post New Directions Puck. The Puck I first met was throwing people into dumpsters for fun. So forgive me if I'm not immediately sympathetic or understanding of his being fragile."

Blaine closed his eyes, taking a deep, calming breath. He loved Kurt. He really did. He was going to marry the man. So of course he loved him. But sometimes he got on this self righteous high horse and Blaine really struggled to like him. Now was one of those moments. He shook his head and turned his back on Kurt to face the fridge. Part of his making the apartment ready for Puck was to get rid of all of the old food. They were gone a week. There was stuff that probably should've been gone before they left.

He heard Kurt sigh and move from his seat. A moment a pair of arms were wrapping around his waist. Blaine exhaled and leaned back in his fiancé's arms.

"I'm sorry," Kurt murmured against his shoulder. "I get it. You're stressed. Why don't you come home with me tonight? We can order sushi and drink some of the fancy wine Rachel hoards in her room to impress her Broadway costars. Let me take care of you for the next days. I feel like it's been forever since I've seen you."

Blaine turned around in his arms to press a lingering kiss against Kurt's lips. "As amazing and tempting as that sounds, I promised Sam I would stay here and rest." He leaned in closer. "You're more than welcome to stay."

"You know I hate staying over here."

Blaine repressed the urge to roll his eyes. "Yeah, I know. But it doesn't make any sense for me to leave. I'm going back over there in a few hours. Makes more sense for me to just stay here. It's a closer walk from my apartment than yours."

"Why are you going back over there? You were with him all week."

"You really just don't listen, do you? Puck is in the hospital. He just had to deal with some really heavy shit. The only thing that's keeping him from spiraling apart is having Jake around. The only thing keeping Jake from losing it completely is Sam and I'm the only thing keeping Sam together. So yes, I'm going back over there. And I'm going to keep going over there until he doesn't need us anymore."

"I see," Kurt said his voice flat. "You would rather spend time with him than your own fiancé? Did I hear it correctly this time?"

"If that's how you want to twist this then fine. I'm not going to argue with you. I don't have the energy. Stay, leave, do whatever you want, Kurt. I've got a thousand things to do and fighting with you isn't one of them."

He turned back to the fridge after he pulled a garbage bag from the drawer beside his hip. He was in the process of determining whether the lasagna their neighbor gave them the day before everything went down was worth a save or a pass when he heard the front door slam shut. He sighed heavily, tossing the dish back into the refrigerator and kick the door closed. He turned around and found that Sam was lingering in the doorway of the kitchen.

"You ok?"

"No," Blaine snorted. "My fiancé gets more and more dramatic with every passing day."

"You don't think he's going to cause a problem, do you?"

"Nah," Blaine waved a hand dismissively. "He just hates not being the center of attention. He'll get over all of this soon enough. Or until he finds something else to bitch about."

"If you say so," Sam replied, before another jaw cracking yawn escaped his lips. Blaine was around the kitchen counter in a flash.

"Aren't you supposed to be resting?"

"I can't sleep," Sam answered, slumping against the doorframe. "I just can't stop thinking about what could've happened. We could've lost him."

Blaine didn't hesitate to pull his taller best friend into a tight embrace. It was rare that he was the one that needed to offer comfort to Sam but he couldn't deny that it felt right. If he could help Sam even a fraction of the way the blonde had helped him through the years, it would still wouldn't be enough. But it was a start.

He pulled away so that he could rest a hand on Sam's face. His thumb absently brushed against Sam's cheeks. He smiled as Sam leaned into the touch. "You need to get some rest, Blondie. You're not going to be any good to him like this."

"I can't sleep with Jake snoring in my ear," Sam whined. Blaine laughed before moving his hand to Sam's shoulder. He pushed his best friend towards his Jake free bedroom. He let go so that he could hop onto his own bed. He patted the spot next to him. Sam sighed quietly and crawled up so that he was lying beside Blaine. "Everything is going to be ok, right?"

"Yes," Blaine promised. He held onto the hand that was resting between them. "We're going to get through this hospital thing. And then we're going to start planning our future with our brand new roommate."

"You think he's going to stay with us or go back?"

Blaine propped himself up so that he could see Sam. "I know which I would prefer but it's really up to him. I want him to stay with us. It never felt right with him being in the Air Force. It felt like something was missing. And now…"

"Now it's perfect," Sam finished. "I feel the same way. I just hope he does too."

"It's just one more thing to worry about later. Close your eyes and get some rest. I'm going to be right here. So you don't have to worry about snoring or bad dreams. I'll be right here with you."

Sam gave a small smile. "I know," he replied quietly. Blaine settled down by his side once again. He listened as Sam's breathing evened out. A sense of peace fell over the apartment. Blaine closed his own eyes, figuring he would rest for just a moment and then he was going to go back to work on that fridge. That lasagna really did need to go.

What felt like a few minutes passed and he cracked his eyes open to find that they were not in the same position they fell asleep in. Blaine was tucked into Sam's side with his head resting on Sam's chest. It wasn't like they had never cuddled before but lying on a bed tangled together like this felt a lot more intimate. Everything with them felt really intimate lately. He slowly extracted himself from Sam's sleepy arms still not sure as to what woke him up in the first place. And then he heard the snicker. He whirled around just in time for the camera to flash in his face.

"Very funny, Jake," Blaine grumbled. He glanced down to see that Sam slept on undisturbed. He really did need the sleep. He knew that the blonde wasn't sleeping even on the rare nights they could persuade him to leave the hospital during the past week. So Blaine was not in a hurry to wake him. The flash of Jake's camera phone went off again. "What are you doing?"

"Giving Kitty and Santana something to look at. You know they both ship Blam, right?"

Blaine wanted to blush. He wanted to throw something but all he did was sigh. Santana and Kitty made it no secret that they both thought he would be better matched with Sam. But the reality was that neither woman had a say in that because he was still with Kurt. He was close to being with Kurt forever. Still….

"Send that to me too," Blaine ordered after a minute. Jake gave him a smirk that was all too reminiscent of the older Puckerman brother. Now he really did throw something. Stupid perceptive shit stirring friends. "Well, since you're awake and I'm awake, you want to head back over there?"

"You're not going to wake Sleeping Beauty first?" Jake asked while puckering his lips none too subtly. Blaine rolled his eyes. Jake grinned wider. Jerk.

"No, he needs the rest. We'll send him a text. He can meet us over there."

"Ok," Jake shrugged, placing his phone in his pocket. "I wonder if I can convince Puck to ship you guys too. It'll be so much better if the dude living with you wants you to hook up."

"Just know that I hate you all so very, very much," Blaine muttered, pushing the human sized pain in his ass out the door.

"No, you don't."

* * *

Puck woke with a start. His breaths came in short, heaving pants as he looked wildly around the room. He didn't know where he was. This wasn't his room at the base. It wasn't his room at home. Where was he? He heard a beeping noise that seemed to get louder with every second that passed. A television was on in the room. He narrowed his eyes as he recognized the show playing quietly in the background. It was that British science fiction show that Blaine was always trying to get him to watch… but he watched it already. Right? On the base…. he shuddered as his memories of the past week finally returned and he knew where he was. He willed his heart rate to slow down. The last thing in the world he wanted was yet another nurse to come in and smother him with concern.

He turned his attention to the television. When Santana was there earlier, she changed the discs, complaining that she had already watched the first three series. She wanted to watch the fourth. He watched with her for a while before he gave into the sleep he'd been fighting against all afternoon. He woke up in just in time to watch the Tenth Doctor reunite with his beloved Rose. He focused on the television and tried to ignore the images that forced him awake. He got shot. Twice. There was no way in hell he was going to concede defeat to some nightmares…. except that he might because they were getting worse. It was getting harder and harder to try and ignore the memories from that night. He was trying to keep it together for Sam, Jake and Blaine. Now he had to add Santana and Artie onto that list. He just didn't know how much more he could take.

His head snapped towards the door when he heard a soft knocking. A moment later, a head of soft brown hair was peering around the door. He felt his already battered heart break a little more as Rachel Berry stepped into his room wearing an already teary smile. He gave what he hoped was a smile in return but he knew it failed by the faltering of her own.

"Hey, Rach."

"Noah," she stepped further in the room. "We're not bothering you, are we?"

"We?" Puck asked. Rachel turned to open the door further to reveal… Kurt. Well that was unexpected. They weren't exactly friends. And they never really resolved the whole Finn's jacket thing. With Santana, he knew that it was only a matter of time before they made up and started talking again. It was definitely not the same with Kurt. He honestly didn't expect to see much of Kurt while he was in New York. He definitely wasn't expecting to have to deal with it this soon. Oh well, might as well play along. The man was marrying one of his best friends after all. And he was still Finn's brother at the end of the day.

"Hey, Kurt."

"Puckerman," he nodded his head towards the bedridden man before turning his attention towards inspecting his room. Puck fidgeted and then looked to Rachel who was sitting in Dani's vacated chair. She had her hands clasped tightly together on her lap and he knew that she was barely holding it together.

"You look good, babe," he grinned, a little more genuinely.

She gave him a warmer smile. "Considering everything that you've been through this week, I say that you look good too. I missed you."

"I missed you too," he replied sincerely. "Thanks for the cookies. I got at least three cookies before that fat-ass Caleb ate them all." Puck paused. Caleb… Josh… his bunkmates. The two he entered the Air Force with. He swallowed. Sometimes he forgot that they were gone. "He was a total fat-ass. He's not that anymore. He's not anything anymore."

He glanced down at his hands. He remembered pressing down on the wound on Caleb's chest. He remembered begging him to stay with him. Begging him to stop bleeding and fight to stay alive. The blood wouldn't stop and it was all over his hands. But he didn't know if it's was Caleb's blood, his blood or Jackson….. He didn't know he was wiping his hand against his sheet covered leg until he felt Rachel's hand cover his.

"Noah," she started, trailing off sadly. She lifted their joined hands to her lips and placed a kiss on the back of his hand. "I wish there was something I could…. do you need anything? Is there something that I can do? Someone you need me to call or something?"

"No. Not that I don't need you… I just… I'm ok. For now. Blaine has been using his OCD for good. He's got like a thousand checklists. I think everyone and their mothers know about this. Hell, pretty sure my own mother knows by now."

"She still hasn't come around, huh?"

Come around… that was one way of putting it. His mother was always a piece of work but that last fight after Finn's funeral. It was bad. They both said things that were wrong. But she crossed the line when she said that it would've been better if he had died instead of Finn. At least Finn's mother had something to be proud of. It hurt. He knew on some level that his mother compared him to Finn. He was used it. Everyone compared him to Finn. Everyone wanted him to live up to Finn's standards. He knew that more than a few people wondered how he got to live while someone like Finn had to die. But to hear his own mother say it…. it hurt. He left and he didn't look back. His mother never made any attempt to reach out to him. And his own sister unfriended him on Facebook. It was pathetic. But the void that was left by his mother and Finn was swiftly filled by support from Burt and Carole and of course, Jake, Blaine, Sam and Rachel. They were always there to give him support when he felt like he couldn't do it.

"Why Sam?" Rachel asked suddenly, dragging him out of his thoughts. He raised an eyebrow and smiled a little as she blushed. "I just mean why did you put Sam down as your next of kin? Why not…"

"Rach, in case you're ignorant of your own success, which I know you're not. Thanks for that autographed _Funny Girl_ soundtrack by the way. But in case you forgot, you're kind of a big deal right now. You didn't need something like this on you. I just couldn't do that to you. Not after everything with Finn. I barely wanted to put Sam down but I couldn't use Jake. He's literally all the family I have left. It was nothing against you, Rachel. Because I know that if I had, you would've dropped everything and been at my side. Ok?"

Her eyes shone even brighter in the room as she nodded. "Ok," she forced a laugh but he could hear the barely held back tears. "I'm going to get you something for this room. According to Sam, they're going to keep you here for another couple of weeks. This room is way too boring. You need some colors. I'm going to get you flowers. Yes, flowers. Flowers are perfect. Everyone loves flowers, right? You like flowers, right?"

"Yeah, babe. I like flowers."

"Great!" she popped out of her seat, already heading towards the door. "I'm going to go you some flowers. Kurt, keep him company until I get back." With that said she was out of the door and powering down the hallway. Puck wished there was a way to warn the poor people staffing the hospital gift shop. They had no idea what pure hell was about to invade their store. An emotionally unbalanced Rachel Berry was not something one wanted to come across without copious amounts of tranquilizers and alcohol.

With Rachel gone, the silence in the room quickly went from pleasant straight to awkward. Puck never professed to be Kurt's friend but even he could tell that there was something bothering the other man. He was quiet but in a hostile manner. He wondered if he should bring it up. Then again this was Kurt. Asking him might open up a can of worms that Puck knew he wasn't prepared to deal with at all.

"This is that show that Blaine is always talking about," Kurt mused out loud. "I didn't know you watched it too."

"You know Blaine. He gets hooked on something and he's not going to rest until he gets everyone hooked on it too. He sent me the entire series along with the sonic screwdriver remote for Hanukkah last year. I took that as his hint he wanted me to watch."

Kurt smiled faintly. But even still Puck could see the tension. He swallowed and leaned his head back against his bed. He was so not prepared to deal with this. He was so not ok with dealing with this right now.

"So how long are you staying?"

"In the hospital or New York in general?"

"Both."

"Uh, Sammy said it would be like a couple of weeks here. And if Sam and Jake get their way, I'll be staying here forever. The Air Force is giving me a few months to think about whether I want to come back. Sam is already plotting how to get me to stay on their couch for the rest of our lives."

"Wait, you're staying with Sam and Blaine?"

Puck blinked. "Uh, yeah? Is that a problem?"

He knew that he was definitely being shielded from most of the planning and whatnot but that seemed like one of the more basic elements. Where else was he going to stay? There was barely enough room for Santana, Rachel and Kurt in their loft. Artie had the extra room (that was pretty much guaranteed to be Jake's in the fall) but Puck was going to be in a wheelchair himself for the first few weeks out of the hospital. Was there really enough room for two wheelchair bound guys in one apartment? Sam and Blaine shared a two bedroom apartment but their couch was all sorts of awesome. He could see himself living on that… for awhile. Not that it mattered right now. Now he just wanted to focus on getting out of the hospital.

"Is it a problem? Oh, let me think. I haven't seen my fiancé in close to a week because of you. He seems to think that he needs to stay attached to you like glue when it's the other one who's your next of kin. And you're still not seeing why this is a problem?"

Puck took a deep breath. "I get it, Kurt. Ok. I get why it's a problem. I really don't want to talk about this right now. Can we just take a rain check?"

"No, no we cannot. Because this is how it starts. Everything was going fine until you showed up. We were all happy living here and now you're here and things are already starting to get screwed up. Because that's what you do, Puck. You screw everything up."

Puck clenched his hand tightly into a fist and forced himself to breath. "Kurt, really, can we not do this today. I promise I will let you berate me and tell me how I am first class fuck up in a week. But just not today."

"No, for once we're working on my schedule," Kurt countered. "I have waited years for this moment. Do you know how long I've been wanting to say these things to you but I couldn't because I was always afraid you were going to hit me."

Puck's jaw dropped. "Dude, I have never hit you."

"No, you just tossed me into dumpsters or threw slushies in my face."

"One, I never slushied you. Only Rachel. Doesn't make it better but at least get the facts straight. And yes, I did used to dump you in the dumpster. I apologized for that. You said that you forgave me!"

"I lied!" Kurt yelled, eyes blazing. "I lied because I don't forgive you. I don't like you. You ruined my high school years and now when I finally managed to get past that, here you are trying to ruin my life again. Because that's who you are. You're toxic, Puck. And I wish that everyone could see it. I see it. We all know your mom sees it."

"Get out," Puck growled.

"No," Kurt said, raising an eyebrow. "By the way, how did things work out with Quinn? Did she finally realize that you ruined her life in high school and would most likely only do it again now that we've graduated? I mean Rachel's mom can only adopt so many babies."

Puck felt his blood pressure rise at the casual jab at his daughter. He knew that Kurt was lashing out right now because of his insecurities about his relationship with Blaine but that was no reason to drag Beth into this. Beth was… Beth still hurt him. He loved his daughter and he was resigned to occasional Face Time conversation with her. No one got to throw that in his face. Not when…. he felt the lump in his throat grow. His skin felt hot and itchy. He wanted this conversation to be over. Before Kurt said something he could never take back… some more. Because honestly at this point, Puck wouldn't be too broken up if he never saw the other man again. He fought against the tears building in his eyes.

"Kurt, get the fuck out of my room. Now!"

"Make me!" Kurt threw his hands up. "You can't can you? Big Bad Puck can't fight the little gay kid anymore. Sucks doesn't it? To be the weak one? Then again you don't want to hit me. That's not how you solve problems anymore. You just kill them."

Puck's eyes widened even as he felt a pang in his chest. A steady pounding started in his head. He tried to tune it out. He tried to stay in the moment. "Shut up, you don't know what you're talking about. Just get out!"

"No, Rachel told me to keep you company. I'm just doing what she asked me to do." He struck a mock thinking pose. "Let's see what else can we talk about? Oh, I know. Let's talk about Finn. Let's talk about how you were there the night my brother died and you didn't do a damn thing to stop it from happening. But that seems to be a running theme in your life these days."

"Kurt, seriously," he voice cracked. "Please leave. I'm asking you."

"Just like I asked you not to throw me in a dumpster? To take care of my brother? Yeah, I asked and I got nothing. Get used to it. Or better yet, you want me to leave then make me!"

"Kurt!"

"Puck!"

The pounding was getting louder. He realized that it was his heart. He could hear his heart beating. It sounded really fast. It wasn't supposed to be that fast, right? It was bad when it beat that fast, wasn't it? Did it matter? What was he even saying? He looked down at his hands. His hands that were covered in blood again. Wait, again? Were they ever clean? Why was there blood on his hands? Oh god, Jackson had a gun. Why did he have a gun? Why did he… he shot Caleb…. Caleb got shot. Josh too. But he knew that Josh was gone. But Caleb was looking at him. Begging him to save him. He asked him to save him. He let him down. He let Finn down. He… killed someone. He was toxic. He was a cancer. He had to go. He had to leave.

"Puck?"

He heard the voice from somewhere but he didn't care. He had to go. He had to get out. He shifted from the bed. Why was he in bed? It didn't matter. He forced himself off the bed but cried out as soon as he tried to support his weight on the floor. Why did his leg hurt? Why did everything hurt?

"Shit, Puck? Stop. Just relax. Lie back down."

He struggled against the arms that were suddenly on him. He didn't want to be touched. Not now. He needed to go but they were holding him back. He was cancer. He had to go. He had to go before he destroyed it all. He already ruined so much. So many people because of him. All because of him. He pushed the arms surrounding him away, hearing the person let out a cry as they fell away from him. He took a painful step forward before he felt a sharp, stinging pain in his wrist. He looked down and saw that there was blood.

He felt dizzy suddenly. Why was he so…? Puck blinked fuzzily around the room before he finally gave into the darkness that was creeping into his vision. As he gave into the peaceful oblivion there was one thought that surfaced in his mind. He managed to whisper it before everything went black.

"I'm sorry."

* * *

*Well that was an evil place to end it, huh? I honestly didn't intend to end any chapter in this story with a cliffhanger but it just kind of happened. Oops! I promise I'll be less Kurt bashing in future installments. Everyone has a bad day, right? Yeah…. Ok. Ciao for now!


	3. Coming Undone

**Summary**: Life has been going well in the Big Apple. Kurt and Blaine are still happily engaged. Rachel is a Broadway sensation. Everything is as it should be. Until the day that Sam gets a call saying that there was an incident at the base where Puck was stationed. That one phone call shakes up their idyllic lives and changes things forever. But who ever said that change was a bad thing?

**Pairings**: Established Klaine, Dantana and Kartie relationships. Hinted Blam, Puckleberry, Pucktana, Mikecedes relationships. Past Samcedes and Quick relationships. Blamman (Sam/Blaine/Puck), Pezberry, Pucktana, Puckleberry, Samcedes, Puckerwilde and Hummelberry friendships.

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing. I'm not likely to own anything in the near future. I've accepted this. Although if someone would like to give me Mark Salling for Christmas, I would definitely not be opposed!

**Warnings**: This story deals with very serious issues, including violence, PTSD, mental illness and death. There is a mass shooting involved with this story. It's not depicted only mentioned but it's a central piece of the plot. So just giving you a warning.

**Author's Note:** So sorry for the delay. But it's been a hell of a month. I was on my way back from a field visit one day when I slipped down the stairs at the train station. I somehow managed to both dislocate and break my ankle (in several places!). So needless to say that I've been drugged out of my mind for the past two weeks and have finally emerged from the cloud that is painkiller heaven. Hopefully you all enjoy this chapter. I apologize in advance for any and all typos. Being confined to a bed makes it a little bit more difficult for me to really fine tune my stuff. Sorry guys! I'll try to do better next time!

* * *

**Coming Undone**

Jake knew that to those outside of their inner gleek circle, he and Puck had a very weird relationship. He knew that. A lot of people were confused by the way they interacted with one another. Jake knew that it was actually normal for people to assume that he was actually Puck's kid instead of his kid brother until they actually met him. But that was mostly because for the past two years Puck was both brother _and_ father figure. That's not to say that Jake's mother didn't do more than her fair share of the parenting. He would never take that away from her. But for the most part she didn't understand Jake. Puck, on the other hand, he understood Jake. Mostly because he was Jake at one point in his life. So he understood exactly what was going through his little brother's head and was able to deliver the necessary guidance and advice to help him stay on the mostly right path. Puck wasn't perfect after all.

For the most part it was a mostly successful (not that either brother doubted it would be). Jake managed to move from average student to the top ten of his grade. He would be graduating with honors in a few months and was accepted into all of his top choice schools. And while he wouldn't have been able to get this far without his mother and her infinite well of patience, Jake knew that a bulk of his accomplishment belonged to Puck. Because his brother wouldn't allow him to make the same mistakes he did. Puck thoroughly kicked his ass after the whole Bree pregnancy scare thing. He also scared him straight. He warned him that he could keep doing what he was doing and end up like their father or he could be something more. He also not subtly hinted that he wouldn't be along for the ride should Jake chose the path most followed. So Jake sucked it up and cleaned up his act. Without glee, he found that he had time to focus on his studies more. He found out he was really good at science. More than that, he actually liked science. And that's how he found himself considering pre-med as a major in the fall. Because he had an older brother that made sure he made the right choices. He had an older brother that understood him because he used to be like him. To put it simply Puck was Jake without a Puck. Puck had a Finn before who helped give him some focus but now Finn was gone and Puck decided that the Air Force would be that guiding light that he so desperately needed. And because of the Air Force, his brother almost died.

Puck was given leave from active duty along with the stipulation that he could be honorably discharged at some point. Jake lived in the constant fear that his brother was going to choose to return. When Puck first announced that he was going to enlist, Jake did all the research on the subject that he could. He was terrified that Puck was going to get deployed to some foreign country and die far away from everyone that loved him. He never expected that to happen when his brother was on American soil and sleeping in his room. He never wanted Puck to go back there. He didn't want Puck leaving New York period. He knew that Sam and Blaine felt the same way. He felt fairly confident that they would do everything in their power to make sure that Noah Puckerman never left New York because if there was anyone in this world that loved Puck almost as much if not a little more than Jake, it was Sam. Along with Blaine, Artie, Rachel and Santana, Jake was pretty confident they were going to hatch out a plan that would keep Puck in New York.

"What are you grinning about?" Blaine asked as they made the short walk back to the hospital. He grinned at the slightly older man. Blaine raised an eyebrow.

"Just thinking of my poor big brother and the crap you guys are going to pull on him to make sure that he stays in New York. Just remember to go easy on him, right now. He's a little bit broken in case you forgot."

Blaine snickered. "Yeah, I've already had to shoot down a few of Santana's ideas. I don't think she realizes that tying him down is considered kidnapping and still pretty illegal in all fifty states. Artie's are at least a little tamer but no less psychotic."

"My poor, poor….." Jake trailed off as he felt a chill down his spine. He stopped walking as he concentrated on that feeling. This wasn't the first time he experienced this sensation. He felt it the morning of the shooting. He knew something was wrong even before his mother called. Kitty would probably describe it as some kind of psychic connection between them because they were brothers. Whatever it was, Jake knew to listen to it. He hurried his pace ignoring Blaine's confused questions in the background.

As he made his way through the lobby and towards the elevator, he vaguely noticed Santana and Dani were back and arguing with Rachel who was loaded down with flowers. He didn't know his brother even liked flowers. But whether he did or didn't was far from his concern at the moment. Because something was very wrong. He stabbed the button for the elevator impatiently. He needed to get up there.

"Screw this," he muttered, before heading towards the staircase. He didn't need to look to know that Blaine was keeping up with him despite the fact that he was confused. It was one of the things that Jake admired about Blaine. He knew when to shut up and go with the flow. And he also knew when to stand up and take charge. That moment came the minute they emerged from the stairwell on Puck's floor to find a flurry of nurses, orderlies and doctors milling about in the hallway. "Blaine?"

"It's ok," he assured him even as he stepped forward trying to understand what was happening. He finally managed to get one of the nurses to stop. "Uh, excuse me, but what's going on? That's my friend in that room."

"Right, you're Blaine and the brother," the nurse (Hannah, her nametag said) nodded. "We were just about to call you. I'm afraid Lt. Puckerman collapsed. The doctor is examining him right now but it appears that he's aggravated some of his wounds. They're prepping an OR for surgery. I'm so sorry but I have to go." With that said the woman hurried away, barking orders to another set of nurses and orderlies.

Jake felt nauseous and cold. What the hell happened? They were only gone for five hours. When he left his brother was joking and smiling. And now he was being prepped for surgery? What the hell possibly happened in the span of five hours?!

He looked up as the sea of people parted to allow a gurney to be pushed out Puck's room. He felt the bile rising as he recognized his motionless brother on the stretcher. He could see blood stains on the thin hospital issue t-shirt he wore. The most disturbing was the blood seemed to be pooling on the stretcher. Jake swallowed against the lump in his throat and held a hand against his stomach. This wasn't happening. This couldn't be happening.

Blaine stepped away from him to walk into the room. Whatever he saw in there caused him to spin on his heels and rush out of the room. Jake felt him put a hand on his elbow and guide him to a space further away from the empty room. He watched as Blaine struggled to control the various emotions that were flitting across his face. There were too many for Jake to completely gauge but fear was the most prevalent. Blaine was scared. Realistically, Jake knew that Blaine was scared but he hadn't shown fear this whole time but now he was. Now he was scared and letting it show.

"Blaine, what's going on?" he asked, quietly. "Why are they taking him back into surgery? What did you see in his room that's got you liked this?" he trailed off as he caught sight of something, or rather someone, over Blaine's shoulder. "And what the hell is Kurt doing here?"

Blaine craned his neck to see that his fiancé was in fact standing not too far away from Puck's room. Jake felt Blaine tense and felt the same tension. Because it was definitely not a secret that Kurt was very much not a fan of Puck. So why was he visiting him in the hospital? Why was he visiting right around the time that Puck suddenly needed to go to surgery again? What the hell did he do? And Jake was certain that he did something. He could read the defiance in Kurt's eyes as he met the twin brown eyed stares from across the hall.

"What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to visit a friend!" Kurt snapped at Jake's question. Blaine pushed him back as he took a step towards Kurt, growling.

"Really? Since when have you been friends with Puck?" Blaine asked, clearly not feeling Kurt's excuses either. "What are you really doing here?"

"I came with Rachel," Kurt huffed. "She called me a little after I left you. She said that Elliot was running late and probably wasn't going to make it today. She really didn't want to see Puck alone so I volunteered to go with her."

"Ok," Blaine said, crossing his arms over his chest. "So what happened?"

"How should I know? One minute we're in there talking and then he's passed out on the floor and the machines are going crazy."

Blaine tilted his head to the side. "Why was there blood on the floor?" Jake didn't miss the way that Kurt tensed at the question. "Seriously, Puck is a stubborn bastard but he's been on his best behavior this past week. He hasn't moved an inch unless he was told to do so. So my question is how did he collapse and aggravate injuries he's been very careful not to aggravate. What did you do?"

"I didn't do anything!" Kurt yelled back. "I can't believe that you're sitting here accusing me of having done something."

Blaine didn't respond. Instead he continued to stare at Kurt with assessing eyes. Jake knew that Blaine wasn't stupid enough to believe that Kurt was totally blameless in this issue. But whatever role he played in whatever happened would have to wait. Clearly something was going down and they needed Sam here. Sam was the only one who had any actual power. The hospital staff wouldn't even tell Jake and that was his brother! He was… he is his brother. Puck is his brother. Because Puck was still alive. He was going to get through this… right?

"Jake?" he heard Blaine's voice but it sounded far away. He distantly heard Blaine let out a muttered curse before he felt two hands on his shoulder. "Hey, kid, I need you to snap out of this. I know I'm not like Sam or Puck but I need you to focus on me."

"I can't… I can't breathe," Jake gasped. His skin felt like it was on fire. He could felt his blood pounding in his ears. He knew what was happening. He felt this before. It was a panic attack. He had them a lot in the days following the incident with the gun at school. He remembered Puck was there for him through every one of them. What was he supposed do without his brother? He didn't want to go back to being Jake without Puck especially since he knew what having Puck around felt like. He didn't want to go back. He couldn't go back. He… couldn't breathe….

"You can breathe," Blaine said, while also opening the top few buttons of Jake's shirt. "You can breathe. We're going to go where you have a little more space, ok?" he felt Blaine's hands on his shoulders. He felt him guiding him and he let him. Because right now Jake was not ok and he wasn't going to be ok. Not until someone fixed his brother and life left him alone. "Kurt, call Sam and tell him to get over here."

"You want me to call Sam?"

Jake could almost see Blaine roll his eyes. "That would be why I asked you to do it."

He clearly wasn't in the mood for any further conversation as they were moving shortly after that. He let Blaine steer him straight into the family waiting room. As soon as they were through the doors, he was pacing. He didn't have any particular pattern in mind, he just moved. It helped to soothe him. He walked in circles. He walked in squares. He paced the room until he bumped into something solid and warm and familiar. He felt Santana's arms wrap around him and he gave into the urge to breakdown.

* * *

Blaine felt like a failure. There was no other way to describe how he completely and utterly screwed this all up. It was his idea to make Sam go back to sleep when his best friend was already awake and ready to return to the hospital. It was Blaine who dismissed the idea of Kurt causing a problem. It was Blaine that made the decision to leave Sam back at the apartment instead of taking him to the hospital. It was Blaine who didn't know how to deal with Jake's panic attacks. He was useless.

"You're not useless," Rachel said, taking a seat next to him. He blinked in her empty handed direction. She mustered a weak smile. "I left the flowers downstairs after Kurt called."

"Kurt called you? I told him to call Sam."

"I know," she replied, her tone showing she wasn't pleased with the soprano singer either. "He called me instead. Dani called Sam. He's on his way now." Blaine nodded slowly. He looked up to where Santana was quietly talking to a huddled Jake. "You didn't mess this up, Blaine. Remember Santana has over eighteen years of experiencing in dealing with Puckerman panic attacks."

Blaine choked out a watery laugh and leaned against Rachel. They rested their heads together. He sat there breathing in Rachel's strawberry scented shampoo and listened to Santana's quiet murmurs in the background. He let the simplicity of the moment wash over him. He let it soothe his jagged and frayed nerves. "Thanks," he mumbled after a few calming moments. She nodded.

"No thanks necessary. I'm reasonably sure that we're all going to be having some variation of a breakdown throughout his recovery. It was just your turn."

Blaine laughed again. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

Suddenly the doors to the waiting room opened letting in Sam, Elliot and Kurt. Rachel, Dani and Blaine all stood as soon as Sam walked in. He ignored them all in favor of stopping in front of Jake. He whispered something in the teen's ear that got him to smile albeit weakly but the effort was made. Santana was also smiling as they joined the others in the center of the room.

"Sam, what's going on?" Blaine finally asked. He was nervous that his best friend was angry with him. Sam gave him a quick smile that allayed those fears… at least for now.

"From what I understand, he had some kind of… episode," Sam reported, shaking his head. "They had to take him to surgery to repair the damage he got when he fell. He tried to get up and his leg buckled causing him to fall. But before that he ripped his IV out. Overall he moved a lot of things that were only just beginning to heal."

"He's not going to die from this, right?"

"No, but from what they were able to tell me this is definitely a setback," Sam sighed. "His doctor should be in here soon to talk to us about what's going on and how we proceed. So now we wait."

Blaine and Rachel sat down in their original seats. Kurt started to sit with them but changed his mind at the last minute choosing to sit as far away from the others as he could in the room. It was only confirmation for Blaine that Kurt had something to do with this "episode". But until he knew how Puck was, Blaine was going to let it go.

A few hours later, the doors opened once again letting in two more people. Blaine recognized them as Puck's primary attending doctor as well as one of the nurses. During their stay in Tennessee, Sam told Blaine that Dr. Green reminded him of a saner Coach Sylvester. He could see that. Puck's New York doctor, however, Dr. Harris, reminded Blaine of an even more insane Coach Sylvester. He definitely didn't want to be on that woman's bad side…. which judging from the glare she was leveling at them, they were. What now?

"Before I tell you anything, let me make one thing perfectly clear. Noah Puckerman has been through significant physical and mental trauma in the past week. He is not to be agitated. He is not to be physically engaged. I don't know what happens in your little circle of friends and I don't care outside of how it affects my patient. But just understand that if anything like this happens again, I will have you all banned from this facility. Do you understand?"

Blaine was silent as the woman continued to berate them all. The various pieces of information he had were starting to come together to form a clear picture. He knew that something happened in that room while Kurt was there but would he really? Kurt wouldn't go that far… would he?

"Ok, I'm sorry because we're not all on the same page here," Sam interrupted when Dr. Harris paused to take a breath. "What are you talking about? What did we do?"

"Several staff reported hearing yelling coming from Lt. Puckerman's room prior to his collapse. Nurse Baxter was in the room when he ultimately collapsed. She was able to explain that prior to his falling down he was experiencing an episode of displacement. In laymen's terms, his mind was retreating from his body due to extreme emotional overload. I really didn't think I needed to actually say that is pretty much the opposite of what we want for him right now. Maybe Dr. Green didn't make this clear to you all, but I will. Lt. Puckerman is not well right now. Physically or mentally. He's putting up a great show but he's not sleeping and he's definitely not eating the amount he should be. This little episode today is major setback on his road to recovery. He came dangerously close to having a stroke."

Santana waved a hand in the air. "Hold up, Doctor Strange, because I'm totally confused. You're saying that someone was yelling at Puck? None of us would do that."

"One of us would," Blaine muttered. He looked up to meet Kurt's betrayed gaze. "After everything we talked about this afternoon..." Blaine trailed off. Shock, hurt and anger were at war in his body. He didn't know how to react.

"I didn't mean…." Whatever he did or did not mean would never be known as Sam took that moment to lunge at the other man. Dr. Harris and the nurse took a step back but made no motions to intervene or notify security. Great!

"Sam!" Blaine yelled, trying to drag his enraged best friend off his fiancé. Elliot moved so that he was standing in between the pair. Sam continued to struggle against Blaine to get at Kurt. He couldn't remember a time when he saw Sam this pissed off. Then again Puck was never at the brink of death before now. First times all around.

"El, Dani, get him out of here," Santana demanded. Blaine glanced over his shoulder to see that both she and Rachel had a hand on Jake. The teen was looking conflicted and Blaine was grateful that they had the presence of mind to hold on to him. They didn't need any more people attacking Kurt at the moment. Especially when they all wanted a piece of that action. Because really? He went after Puck when he was hurting and alone. That's beyond low. Blaine was simultaneously disgusted and disappointed.

Elliot took one look around the room before nodding. He started pushing Kurt towards the door. Blaine pointedly ignored Kurt's pleading face as Elliot and Dani all but dragged him away. Because right now Kurt and his feelings was the last thing that Blaine was concerned about. He was worried about Puck. But more immediately he was worried about how pissed off Sam was. Blaine put his hands on Sam's face and forced him to look him in the eye. He saw the rage there but it was the fear that was clearly expressed in those green orbs that ate at Blaine because Sam wasn't supposed to be scared anymore. They were supposed to be past the point of any of them being scared. And yet…

"Hey, Blondie. I need you to get your head back in the game here," Blaine crooned once he saw recognition spark in Sam's eyes. "Sammy, you with me? Because I really need you right now, ok? We all need you. Please?"

Slowly Blaine felt the tension leech out of Sam's body. And then two hands were covering his. Blaine smiled up at Sam. "Hi."

"Hi," Blaine let his thumb run over Sam's cheek briefly. "You with me?"

"Always," Sam replied. "Also I hate your fiancé."

Blaine smiled weakly. "Not too fond of him myself at the moment. You ready to talk to the doctor?"

"Is it wrong that I just want to hide right now with just you and Puck and Jake?"

"No," Blaine shook his head, still using his thumbs to brush against Sam's cheeks. "And as soon as he gets out of here, we're going to make that happen, ok? Just the four of us."

"Six," Santana corrected. "Like Hell you're leaving me and the midget out of this."

"What she said," Rachel chimed in with a smile.

"Well this just went from interesting to disgustingly sickening in less than a minute," Dr. Harris muttered. Yeah, she was definitely some sort of long lost relative of Sylvester. Totally. "Now if the dramatics are over, can I get on with my spiel please?"

Blaine stepped away from Sam reluctantly and pointedly ignored Jake and Santana's leering looks and knowing smirks. They were jerks. Sam wiped a hand over his face before forcing his best smile on his face.

"Sorry about that, Dr. Harris. What were you saying about Puck?"

"He did come very close to having a stroke. Closer than I feel completely comfortable with. His blood pressure was too high. I cannot stress enough that his emotional and physical condition is extremely fragile at the moment. He cannot be upset, stressed or overwhelmed. Physically he is starting to heal well but mentally," she trailed off with a heavy sigh. "Mentally, he's not as good as he's pretending to be. He definitely has a diagnosis of PTSD and that in itself is triggering enough. He doesn't need further external stressors."

"Yeah," Sam raked a hand through his hair. "That won't be happening again. Trust me. But you said something earlier about him not sleeping?"

"I read his chart from Tennessee. Apparently he's not been sleeping. Additionally, he's been losing weight rapidly which indicates that he's not eating as well. That's another symptom of PTSD and depression. So I hope that you can understand why we are very concerned about his mental state now."

"Dr. Harris, I know that we might not have set the best example thus far but is it possible for one of us to stay with him overnight? Maybe that will help him feel comfortable enough to sleep. He hates hospitals. It can either be myself or his brother, Jake."

Dr. Harris stared at them with a calculating look in her eyes. Blaine saw the minute she was about to launch an argument against the idea. Blaine also saw the moment that argument died on her lips when faced with the full force of Jake's Puppy Dog Eyes from Hell. Worked every single time.

"Fine, you two can stay in the room with him overnight. But only you two for now. I'll think about allowing other people in there but I don't think it needs to be said that your other friend is not allowed within a five foot radius of Lt. Puckerman."

"Don't worry," Santana assured her. "That definitely won't be happening. But is he awake now… can we at least see him?"

"Just family and next of kin right now. He's resting in his room. Doubt he'll be awake until tomorrow. His body just underwent a significant trauma in addition to the surgery to repair the internal damage. He'll be under until tomorrow. I'll allow you to see him then."

"Ok," Sam grinned, turning to Jake "You go ahead and I'll meet you back at the room."

Jake narrowed his eyes. "Where are you going?"

Sam's grin wider and Blaine got a little nervous about the intentions behind that smile. "Why I'm going to have a few words with Kurt. Don't worry. I'll have a few for you as well."

"Never doubted you for a second, bro," Jake smirked.

Blaine chewed on his lip as noticed a similar smirk on Santana's lips. The worrisome part was when Rachel smiled a swell. This wasn't going to end well… for Kurt. And yet somehow he couldn't force himself to feel bad at all. Kurt did this. He hurt Puck. He crossed a line and for once there were going to be some damn consequences. Yeah, Blaine couldn't find it in himself to feel bad for his fiancé at all.

* * *

This may come as a surprise to some but Sam never really liked Kurt Hummel. And that was weird because Sam liked everyone. He liked Santana even though she spent most of her time insulting him. He liked Finn even when his dearly departed friend was directly responsible for his breakup with Quinn (who he later dumped). So yeah, Sam wasn't used to the idea of not liking someone… but he knew without a shadow of a doubt that he did not like Kurt Hummel. From the very beginning he was always wary of the older teen's intentions. He knew that Kurt was being bullied but Sam was of the belief that Kurt used that as a shield to deflect attention away from the things he said or did. Because honestly who wasn't bullied in New Directions?! But Kurt made it seem like his suffering was more important than everyone else.

Even after they all stood up to Karofsky for him, Kurt left. He took his parent's honeymoon money and defected to Dalton like a week before Sectionals. Then when the Warblers lost at Regionals and New Directions advanced to Nationals in New York, Kurt was suddenly over his bullying problem and was back. So no, Sam was never a fan of Kurt. He thought the older teen was selfish and materialistic, not to mention completely oblivious to how lucky he was to have the type of father he had. He was also fortunate to have a loving and wonderful stepmother as well. Then, of course, there was the whole Blaine issue.

Sam remembered not liking Kurt. He always found him a touch "too much" at times. But Sam never hated him… until he and Blaine broke up. Honestly Sam never gave Blaine much thought while they were together. But once Blaine was away from Kurt, Sam realized just what he was missing out on. Blaine without Kurt was amazing. He was fun, snarky, caring and smart as Hell. Blaine with Kurt, however, was dull and colorless. He hid everything that made him awesome because he was scared Kurt wouldn't love all of him. He was probably right.

But whatever, all of this was just to say that Sam didn't like Kurt. He never did and he likely never would. But he has never wanted to hurt him before. Not even after all the hundreds of small things he has said or done to hurt Blaine on a semi daily basis ever since they moved to NYC. He hated him, sure. But he never wanted to hurt him… until now. Until he almost finished the job started on Tennessee. Until he almost took Puck from Sam permanently. Now all bets were off because no one took Puck from Sam.

Sam forced the white hot rage down as they neared the spot out front where Dani and Elliot were warily watching Kurt pace. All three looked up once the others got closer. Sam felt really bad for Elliot and Dani. They really had no clue what was happening but it was definitely happening.

"You have one minute to explain just what the hell you were thinking attacking Puck like that or I swear I'm letting Trouty Mouth go all Kentucky Thunder on your ass!" Santana snarled, stepping in Kurt's personal space. Sam almost grinned at the look of terror that crossed Kurt's face in that moment. Almost.

"I didn't mean for all of that to happen! I just… I blanked out when he told me that he was staying with you guys." He looked at Blaine. "You never told me he was going to be moving in with you guys."

Sam raised an eyebrow. He was seriously going to put this on Blaine? He almost caused a man to have a stroke but it was all Blaine's fault. Yeah, screw this he was totally going Kentucky Thunder on Kurt's ass.

"Really?!" Blaine's incredulous voice cut through Sam's homicidal thoughts. He store his eyes away from Kurt to look at Blaine. It was like he aged a year in the past twenty minutes. "You're seriously going to blame this all on me? Since when do I need to clear who comes and goes in my apartment? For the record, Puck isn't officially moving in. He's staying with us for a little while. How long? Don't know for sure but he's staying with us. And I'm sure that's exactly what he told you. I must have missed when you asked me if it was cool for Mercedes to stay with you last month."

"That was different!" Kurt protested. Blaine crossed his arms over his chest and arched an eyebrow, seeking an elaboration on that one. "Mercedes is my best friend. And Puck is…"

"Mine," Blaine finished. "Puck is my best friend along with Sam. I share an apartment with Sam. Neither of us have to clear our guests with you. Especially since you have made it clear on numerous occasions that spending the night at my apartment is the equivalent of slumming it for you. So that's not a valid excuse at all. Try again, dear."

Kurt ran a shaking hand through his hair as he tried to find something else to latch onto. Sam almost felt bad. Ok, no he didn't. "Look, I know! Ok! I know. It's just… it's Puck! Everything has been good for us here. Now he's here and we're all fighting!"

"Yeah because you almost gave him a stroke," Santana retorted with an eye roll. "Whatever you deal is with Puck is on you but you need to deal with it, Hummel."

"I don't have any issues with Puckerman."

"Yeah that's why you were leading the charge against him about Finn's jacket," Rachel pointed out. Kurt gave her a scandalized look. She glared right back. "It's amazing what you learn by talking to people. Marley told me everything that happened before I got there. How you and Santana basically chased Noah out. But that you were particularly venomous in your attacks. Whatever Noah may have done to you in the past, it was nothing compared to what he did to me. And I forgave him and still do. I truly forgave him because he has more than made up for the year he spent tossing slushies and tossing people in dumpsters. He joined New Directions in way that even Finn couldn't in the beginning."

"He chose glee over football," Santana clarified. "I know we all like to gloss over Finn's flaws now that he's gone but he wasn't perfect. Neither is perfect. But at least Puck has apologized numerous times for his flaws and tried to change for the better."

"So you're saying that I should just forgive and forget everything he's ever done to me?"

"Whether you really do forgive is up to you but I was there when you said that you did forgive him. So at least have the guts to man up to your real feelings. Be honest. And the fact that you waited until he was weak and at his lowest makes what you did worse than anything he's ever done to you by far."

"It makes you the bully," Blaine finished for Sam. "Congratulations!"

Kurt looked horrified. "I'm not a bully. He is! So he joins the Air Force and we're all just supposed to accept that he's grown up and changed?"

"No, we all accepted that a long time ago," Rachel pointed out. "Noah changed long before the Air Force, long before Finn…. He changed right after Beth. And you're the only one that doesn't want to see that. You've officially become what you always claimed to hate. You purposely waited until someone was alone, weak and vulnerable and attacked. I can only imagine what you said that caused that kind of reaction. I know Noah. I know what he's capable of taking. So I can't imagine how horrible you must have been."

"I'm not a bully!" Kurt repeated, shrilly.

"Really? So why did you wait until he was stuck in a hospital bed? Why not tell him last year when he was up for a visit? Or even last month when we were Face Timing him and you were there in the background? I know why. It's because you're a fucking coward," Sam spat. "You're a coward and a bully. And for the record, because I know you still believe this but it wasn't Puck who took the jacket. It was Mr. Schuester."

"What?"

"Yeah," Sam drawled. "Mr. Schue took the jacket when San was sleeping. But then he did what Puck wanted to do in the first place. He had them hang the jacket up in the locker room in Finn's memory."

"That… that's what Puck wanted the jacket for?"

"Yeah, so you really need to get over whatever your damage is when it comes to Puckerman before you end up murdering him," Santana spoke up.

Sam grinned. Seemed like the Puckerman-Lopez connection was back on track. Thank God. He was tired of both of them moping around trying to pretend that the loss of the other didn't hurt them. His friends were so freaking weird.

"Well since I apparently will not be breaking out the Kentucky Thunder, how about we call it a day? I'm going to stay here tonight. I might not get in tonight to see him but I should be here in case Jake needs me."

Blaine glared at him. Sam already knew what he was going to say before his mouth opened. "Like hell you're staying here without me. We saw what happened the last time we all left." Sam snickered softly. He knew it. Just like he knew that Santana was going to chime in as well. Like he said, his friends were freaking weird as hell.

"I call dibs on the chair by the TV!" Santana yelled before hauling ass towards the hospital faster than anyone wearing heels that high should be allowed. Blaine grumbled something under his breath before racing after her. There was a brief moment of silence before they heard Santana shrieking with laughter. Dani shook her head fondly before heading inside to make sure that Blaine hadn't murdered her girlfriend.

"Oh no, the flowers!" Rachel gasped. Sam raised an eyebrow. "I might have selected a large amount of flower to decorate Noah's room. Along with some other things."

"Rach, tell me you didn't buy half the gift shop," Elliot mumbled. Rachel flushed. "Come on, knowing you, you'll probably need more than a few hands to get that crap upstairs." Rachel beamed in his direction before dragging him in the direction of the hospital's gift shop. Sam chuckled until he realized that with their absence he was now left alone with Kurt. He sighed before looking at the older man.

As he expected, Kurt was not the least bit remorseful. He was just told off by the people closest to him and he still didn't get it. But then again, they weren't really addressing the problem. They were only dancing around it. And honestly, Sam was really tired of dancing around what this was all really about. He was actually happy that he could do this without an audience.

"Can we just be honest now that everyone is gone?" Sam asked, quietly. "That none of this has anything to do with Puck at all. Not really."

"It doesn't?"

Sam rolled his eyes. "You're jealous of the amount of time that Blaine spends around me. You think that with Puck around, he's going to be spending even more time with me. And that's the real root of the problem. It's me, not Puck."

Kurt's eyes flashed and Sam knew that he hit the problem on the head. "And if that was the issue, what of it."

"Are you blind? Wait, no, scratch that, I already know the answer to that. Yes, yes you are. Blaine loves you. He won't even consider the possibility of anything but you. So whatever issue you have with me because of Blaine, take it up with me. Don't you dare take it out Puck ever again. He's got nothing to do with this."

"So you admit it. You admit that you have feelings for Blaine."

Sam scoffed. "I'm convinced that you have to be at least partially blind. You have to be stupid not to fall for Blaine at least a little. He's amazing and kind and smart and gorgeous. So yeah, I have feelings for him. But I also know that he's getting married. To you. I wouldn't cross that line. I'm fine with being his best friend only. Because I respect what he wants to build with you even if know he could do better."

"You mean you?"

"No, he could do better than both of us. I should've recognized this for what it was back in high school and jumped on the opportunity when I had the chance. Instead I let him go back to you and that will always be my biggest regret. But he's happy and I won't take that away from him," Sam shrugged. "Sucks to be me but it is what it is. So again, don't hurt Puck as a way of getting at me because you're also hurting Jake, Blaine, Santana and Rachel. Think of them if you can't find it in you to be a decent person and not kick someone who is beyond their lowest."

Kurt didn't say anything but there really wasn't anything more to say at this point. They both got what they wanted out of this. Kurt wanted to confirm that Sam had feelings for him. But Sam also proved that Blaine was still blindly loyal to Kurt. He let out a slow breath, feeling the tension in his shoulders. Today royally sucked. It was supposed to be getting better but it just seemed to be getting worse.

He started to say something more to Kurt but he let the words die. There really was nothing more to say. It was out there. And he couldn't take it back. He wouldn't take it back. Kurt needed to recognize what he had in Blaine before someone without Sam's moral code came along and snatched the former Warbler up. He shoved his hands in his pockets and shuffled back towards the hospital doors. He didn't care where Kurt ended up tonight as long as he stayed the hell away from the hospital. As he made his way to the elevator, he noticed that Elliot and Rachel were nowhere to be found. He must have been able to help her with the stuff after all. Sam was also slightly terrified at the thought of what the hyperactive diva was about to inflict upon his poor best friend. A grin tilted his lips as he thought of Puck's horrified reaction to the massive amounts of flowers and stuffed animals Rachel probably bought. It was a pretty funny image… that turned out to be truer than he thought.

"What the hell is all of that and why the hell are you still here?" Sam asked as he walked into the lounge to find that half of the gift shop (flowers and all) were indeed taking up space in the lounge. There were also pillows and blankets set up all around the room. "How did you guys get those? Did you steal them?"

"Of course not," Blaine scoffed. "Jake got them for us." Jake nodded with a smirk from where he sat curled up with his own blanket and pillow. "Mini Puck over here came in because Original Puck is still out for the count. They tried to tell us that we had to leave but he broke out the eyes and got us permission to stay in here and have all the linens we want!"

Sam flopped down next to Blaine and Jake in the veritable pillow fort they had built and smiled at the childlike simplicity of it. He knew that they wouldn't be getting this if it wasn't for the fact that Puck was on a semi private floor and that this lounge was hardly used anyway. But it didn't change the fact that he was happy that they were all bunking down for the night. Elliot was helping Rachel sort through her purchases while Santana and Dani giggled their way through cocooning themselves together on the chair by the TV that Santana did in fact claim. Sam smiled softly and slung an arm around Jake's shoulders.

"You did good, brat. You did real good."

* * *

*I hope that you all enjoyed. I hope that even though no one overheard what he said that you are all satisfied with the responses Kurt received. It's not over. Blaine still has to have his say. And there will be more Puck in the next chapter. I'm still on the fence who (if anyone) Puck will end up with but I think it's clear where this is going as far as Blam versus Klaine if anyone is still on the fence about this story. So again, hope you all enjoy and that it flowed. I'll probably come back and edit this again once I'm a little bit more mobile and not writing on my phone! Ciao for now.


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